Emmuel
by LivingLiberation
Summary: DeanXOC Pairing! Dean didn't know if he really believed in Angels until he unleashed Heaven's greatest unknown. Emmuel.
1. Ch1

A young Dean Winchester lay next to his younger brother on the hard and creaking motel bed. The door was locked with every chain and bolt it had, the foot stopper down too. His ears strained in the silence, listening for anything and everything but only catching the passing cars and Sammys long deep breathing beside him. John had been gone for too long, two more days than he'd said, but Dean wouldn't leave the room, he wouldn't leave Sammy, not again.

Mary had always told him that angels were watching over them, and he had believed her, but it hurt to know that the horrible things in the night were watching too.

He didn't know how long he had been laying there when he heard a car door slam outside their room, it made him jump. He listened as the footsteps drew near to the window on his right. His breath caught when a silhouette could be seen against the just barely opaque curtain.

He closed his eyes, angels had to watch over them. They had to. He didn't even know if he really believed anything about angels and heaven anymore, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Silently he sent up what was probably the last prayer of his childhood.

"Please, God... or whoever is listening. Send the strongest angel to watch us. I think we need you."

The figure in the window slowly walked off and Dean let out a sigh of relief.

Far off in Heaven, his angel smiled.

—————

She had been locked away, in her own private room in Heaven, far longer than she cared to think about. There were no seals that needed to break, only strong warding that hinged on one caveat. The prayers of the one who needed her most.

Her name was Emmuel, the first angel.

She was created long before the Archangels, or the Seraphim, or any other angel for that matter. For thousands of years He had pondered her creation, wondering how much power He could give to one child. And powerful she was.

Her grace was vast, easily eclipsing that of the archangels combined and more. After her voluntary and complete devotion to her Father, she found herself wanting to help him create, it was then he decided she was too powerful. He locked her away, binding her pale green wings, and telling her only if and when she was needed she would be freed.

But only if she was prayed to.

Through the years she had heard many prayers, never the right one. Even her brothers and sisters knew nothing of her, she wasn't mentioned in any form of the Bible. Who would ever know to pray to her?

To her surprise after eons, centuries on the human earth, the warding on her door dimmed. It didn't fade away, but it dimmed.

And she heard him.

"Please, God... or whoever is listening. Pick the strongest angel to watch us. I think we need you."

And she smiled.


	2. Ch2

"I didn't know what to do, Sam."

His fingers drummed on the steering wheel of his Baby, his Zeppelin playing low through the dash as they sped down the old cracked and graying highway.

His brother sat on the other end of the bench seat. His face red, unable to even look at him.

"So you sold your soul? For me? Dean, this isn't-"

"Isn't what, Sam? Fair?... Life isn't fair. It's hard and bloody, and anything but fair... You don't know how I felt. Sitting there, staring at you... You were dead, Sammy. I am supposed to protect you."

"Not at the cost of your own life, Dean."

Dean slammed his hands against the steering wheel, the car swerving dangerously.

"Yes! Yes, at the cost of my life." He yelled. "Yes, Sam. That is my job. It has always been My Job. Take care of Sam, make sure Sam is alright. Don't let Sam get killed. And I failed. So... I fixed it."

"And what, you're just going to leave me here? Alone? After Jess, after Dad?... after mom?"

"Don't. Don't you bring her into this Sam. None of them. You're going to spend this time with me, make your peace, and live a happy life. You'll get out, settle down, and forget all about me."

"You know I can never have a normal life! You can't expect me to just sit and take this! How long do you even have, Dean? Fifteen years? Ten?" He yelled.

He watched as Dean clenched his jaw. Slowly he let out a panicked breath.

"F-five?"

Dean stared hard at the road for a moment before loosening his jaw a bit.

"One, Sammy... one year."

Tears bloomed in Sams eyes anew.

"We're getting you out of it."

"No we're not."

"Yes we are, Dean! We have a year. Let's go back to Bobby's, we can research, something!"

"And what, interrogate demons?"

"Yes!"

"No deal Sam. There's no way to break a Deal."

"There has to be."

Needless to say there wasn't.


	3. Ch3

Her heart broke for him. As a child he had had just enough faith to pray, dim her wards, but over the years she watched as he lost it. She wept silently as she watched him grieve his brother, devastated that she couldn't help him, and stared in horror as he made his deal. One year.

She had known him since before he was born, and had heard her brothers and sisters, who had never even seen her, talk about how special he was, how important he was for the cause. And she was trapped here, unable to save her fathers creation.

Unable to save him.

She listened as her brethren plotted against the humans on Earth. None of them knew of her save maybe Joshua, swept away before they'd been created, but she knew each and every one of them. Could feel them as they popped into existence, far less powerful and with less of a mind of their own.

If she ever broke free of this prison, they would be shocked to say the least.

She nearly broke completely as she watched him be pulled to Hell. When and if she ever broke free of this cell, she would rain wrath upon her brother. Lucifer would burn.

The only saving grace was the angels plan to pull him from the pit. But she knew, they had been sent too late. Too late on purpose.

Even with their vast age they had never progressed past petty familial spats, jealous of one another and the humans they had been created to protect.

She could only hope that being pulled from Hell helped him see that someone was on his side, even if they were using him for the time being, she was there waiting.

—————

"What are you?" Dean asked as he heaved, sweat slicked his back. This man, this thing, had just busted through every ward Bobby knew, withstood multiple wounds and didn't even flinch, all before doing God knows what to Bobby. This thing was taking everything Dean threw at it and nothing was working.

The man in the trench coat tilted his head, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I am an angel of the lord. We have been watching you Dean."

Anger bubbled deep in Deans chest. This thing really wanted him to believe that after years of lost faith, faith he didn't think he would ever get back, that he was an angel? He had suffered years of tragedy, heartbreak, suffering... and they had done nothing?

He tore into Castiel with all his indignation, his anger, and his desperation. Yelling questions, obscenities, and accusations. Wondering where they had been all this time, when he had asked so many times for help. Then a small memory of a dark motel, a young Sam, and his last prayer sparked in his mind.

"Are you the strongest?" He asked. Castiel squinted at him in anger and confusion. Dean, in Castiel's mind, had no right to fling his words the way he had been. Then he recognized where he had heard the wording of the eldest Winchester before. "I said, are you the strongest?" Dean yelled at the stoic, if not angry, face before him.

"No." He said simply.

"Of course not. Never the best for old Dean, huh? I said I wanted the strongest, the best angel there is." He yelled, looking to the sky. "And you couldn't give me that? Give me the strongest angel you have, or none at all. If I don't have the strongest angel you have, I won't take any, you can keep them. I need the most powerful angel."

Suddenly Castiel was in his face.

"You don't have the authority to demand anything from Heaven Dean. You're one human. We have billions to save. I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition. Be-" suddenly he was cut off. The night sky slowly began gleaming ominously.

Castiel's face turned towards it, shock clear on his face. And as quickly as he had appeared he disappeared, leaving Dean in a pile on the floor wondering what the hell had just happened and how he was going to get Bobby back safely to the car.

—————

She watched as he summoned Castiel. As of right now he was her favorite Angel. He had been the one to pull Dean from the pit, quietly she mourned her lost brothers and sisters that had fallen on the mission, ones she would now never meet.

She watched as Dean, in her mind, rightfully hurled his anger at his life and the world. Then he said something that sparked her interest.

"Are you the strongest?" Her heart leapt into her throat. At Castiel's slowly given negative answer she saw Dean throw his face to the sky. Demanding the strongest angel. Saying he needed her. The warding on her walls suddenly shown brightly, burning away as quickly as they had been formed around her all those years ago. She felt the sting of the binding burn from her wings as they were finally allowed to stretch to their full size for the first time in over two millennia. She nearly screamed.

The walls around her began to crumble and she felt her grace stretch until she was glowing brightly enough to blast the rest of them away.

She was free.


	4. Ch4

Blinking she found herself in the center of the garden.

"Hello, Joshua."

If he was surprised he didn't show it. She had appeared to him first, knowing that he would have been the only one their Father would have trusted to know about her.

"Emmuel. You're finally free."

"It is good to meet you, have you heard anything from Him?"

"No. He wants us to figure all of this out for ourselves."

She knew this of course, she had been listening to everything, her angelic frequencies new no boundaries. He wasn't the only one that could speak to God, even if he was the only one that God would ever deem to respond to.

"Thank you, Joshua. I should probably go... it is time to face my brothers and sisters."

"Good luck, and best wishes."

She smiled.

—————

They were standing on Bobby's front porch, Dean had slowly been able to haul him back into the impala when Castiel had left. He headed for Bobby's, calling Sam to meet them there and he hadn't looked back.

"He just disappeared?"

"Yeah, one minute he's yelling about me not having authority over Heaven, then the sky glows up, and he vanished."

"Are you sure he was an angel?"

"That's what he said, but what else could he have been? Me and Bobby warded that place against any Demon, monster, and spook we could find. Nothing evil could have gotten around that."

"So mom was right... angels have been watching us."

"Yeah. And they never gave a shit until now. The only question is, what do they want from me?"

They heard a sudden flutter of wings.


	5. Ch5

Every angel in creation felt the power surge and froze on the spot. A new presence forming deep in the heart of heaven, it stretched and shifted to the Garden before falling upon the center matriculation in Heaven. The Main Court.

Raphael stood looking down upon the woman who appeared. She had appeared as a human, thin with long black hair and piercing pale green eyes to match her wings, the largest pair of wings that any angel had ever seen.

"Hello, brother."

—————

They had thought to try and capture her. The nerve. As she stood there she felt them all tense to charge and with a blink of her eyes they found themselves unable to move.

"Hello to all of you. My brothers and sisters." She said smiling as she looked around at them. Gently she pulled her power back from all of them save one.

She looked back to Raphael. Who had been frozen with his arm half raised, his archangel blade in hand. With a blink from her he was able to speak.

"Who and what are you?" He asked with venom in his voice. She saw the million questions behind it and sighed.

"I am your sister."

"God stopped creating angels long ago, try again." He said menacingly.

"Oh Raphael, I am much older than this Heaven." She said, her voice full of condemnation. "I am far older than all of you."

"Impossible. Michael is the eldest."

"The eldest archangel yes." She paused. "I am Emmuel, the first and only Anarchangel in creation. The first of all of us. I was locked away long before you were even a twinkle in our dear Fathers eye. Look around you, who here has tried to move against me again?"

His eyes fearfully scanned The Court. Not a single one of his brethren had made a move to attack her again, though he could tell they had been released from her power, they looked almost fearful.

"Well, sister. Are you so afraid of me that you won't release me and have a fair fight?"

"Why should we fight, brother?"

"My Father locked you away for a reason, Emmuel."

"Yes, our Father did. He was worried about my power. How much I have so he shut me away until the time was right. I would be freed when I was needed, and from what I've seen and heard, I am more than needed." She said giving him a look of knowing and contrition.

She saw realization dawn in his eyes, everyone had heard the demands of the eldest Winchester.

"Yes, Raphael, he demanded the strongest of Heavens angels, said he needed them. And that need broke my warding. I am free." She said before suddenly disappearing.


	6. Ch6

He and his brother turned toward the sound slowly.

"Hello, Dean." She said. He stared.

"Hello Sam." She said with a warm smile. They both stared at her, fear and anger in their eyes.

"I'm not a demon if that's what you think. But, you can pour holy water on me if it'll make you feel better." She said. Dean slowly reached into his coat pocket and opened the flask, she stuck out her hand palm down and smiled as she heard the prayers in the water as it passed over her skin.

"So you're not a demon, what are you." He said, demanding rather than asking.

"I fear that my brothers haven't been very kind or forthcoming with answering you. My name is Emmuel. I'm an Anarchangel."

"An Anarchangel? There's no such thing, there's no mention of anything like that in lore." Said Sam, his skeptical eyes trained on her face. She looked sad for a moment.

"There wouldn't be. Not even my brothers and sisters knew of me until just recently."

"Why are you here?" Dean asked, anger on his face. She was just another angel who had watched them suffer.

"I am here because you need me. Demanded me even." She said with a smiling twinkle in her eye. His eyes flashed to Sam and back.

"We have a lot to talk about Dean. But we shouldn't go into details out here. May we go inside?"

All he could do was nod.

—————

She looked sad as they trained their guns on her in the house, saddened but not shocked. They had shut the door behind her and swirled, guns at the ready.

"Look, I don't know what you are or what you want but I won't have something following me and my brother all over the states, so we're about to finish this."

"I told you what I am, and I asked to follow you. You deserve answers Dean, so does Sam. There's a bigger picture that my siblings aren't giving you all the puzzle pieces too, and it will get you killed."

"And why should we listen to you?" Sam asked with a scoff.

"I am here to tell you my story."

"Well it ain't bed time, and I haven't been read a story since I was four years old. I don't need just any other angel in a meat suit."

"This isn't a vessel." He gazed at her confused. "And I know when you were last read a bedtime story, Dean. Three nights before the tragedy."

"If you've been watching us why didn't you help us? Some guardian angel you are." He spat. She felt the twinge of her annoyance building.

"I've told you. I am not a guardian angel. I am an Anarchangel. The first and only. Now sit down." The guns flew from their hands and landed on the coffee table. "Shut up." Their mouths closed and they were forced to sit on each end of the couch. "And listen." She said as her eyes gleamed with a white light behind the pale green iris'.

They looked scared and she sighed.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I haven't ever been in contact with other beings. I've listened and watched but I haven't been able to interact. In applying social rules, this is my first try. And I am trying to be as polite as possible and I demand the same respect."

They nodded and she pulled back her power.

"I am the first angel of creation. Made even before heaven. There was me and God, my Father. He wanted to know how powerful a creature he could make, so he made me. He talked for years of creating new life, more angels... humans. And I wanted to help. He began to fear that he had made me too powerful, if I could create then there would be confusion as to who the real God could be. I tried to tell him that he was the all powerful creator but he couldn't see past the power that he gave me. One day I was knocked out. When I came to, I saw him standing over me, a binding in his hands... He bound my wings. While I had been unconscious he had erected a room with warding on every wall. He locked me away in the depths of what is now Heaven and told me only when I was needed would I be freed. Only when I was asked for would the warding fall and my wings spread free. And he left me there." A tear fell from her eye and onto the aged carpet. Later if you looked there would be a perfectly round clean spot.

"How could he do that?" Sam asked. A small look of sympathy on his face. Dean sat nearly unreadable.

"I am his to do with as he pleases, he is my father and I have no right to question him." She said hastily as she wiped her face.

"No. That's bullshit! He's worried that he won't be seen as the all powerful so he just locks you up?"

She gained a small smile.

"He's my father." She said looking to Dean. If anyone would understand it would be him, and she could tell he did.

"A decade or so ago, the warding on my walls dimmed. A little boy in an old motel room said he needed the strongest angel to watch over he and his brother." She said looking at Dean. She caught his eyes and his eyes cut to his hands. "It wasn't enough to free me, but the wards weakened. Then, just over half an hour ago, that same boy cried out to heaven, demanding the strongest angel there was... said he needed them. And I was freed."

Dean looked stricken. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands or what to say.

"I am not here to berate you, or to say you should have faith. God hasn't spoken to the angels in centuries. The angel of the Garden, Joshua, says God is tired. He wants us to figure it out ourselves... I want to help the two of you. God may have abandoned all of us, but he wouldn't want his creations to fight to the death this way."

"So my guardian angel has been locked in a tower all this time because I didn't have the balls to say I needed her?" Dean asked quietly. She sighed in exasperation at being called a guardian again, but smiled.

"A damsel you didn't even know about Dean, how odd." He smirked a bit.

"So what do we need to know, why was I brought back?" She sighed again.

"You're going to be angry, I am as well, but we need to lay out all of the facts and we need to help your brother."

"What's wrong with Sammy?" Dean asked looking to Sam who had become increasingly uncomfortable. She and Sam took a long pause.

"Sam, should I tell him?" She asked quietly. He clenched his jaw and nodded slightly. She decided to go with what humans called ripping off the bandaid.

"Sam has been trying to find Lilith with the help of the demon Ruby. Using demon blood to fuel his powers. It has become a problem, and while he doesn't like the process he feels he needs the end result. It's an addiction that will eventually kill him and nullify your gift of selling your soul for his life." She said while looking pointedly at Sam.

Dean let out a breath as if he had been punched in the gut and Sam squeezed his eyes shut, tears bubbling through his lashes.

"The angels will tell you that they want you both to go across the nation and try to stop the breaking of the seals that keep Lucifer locked in his cage. But the lower level angels that they are sending don't know that the higher ups are expecting, and rooting, for you to fail. They want the seals broken. They want Lucifer to walk the Earth and for he and Michael to fight to the death. They expect Michael to kill Lucifer and release Heaven on Earth."

"Why are you telling us this?" Dean gasped out. She winced before cautiously continuing.

"Because you and your brother are the vessels for Michael and Lucifer."

They both gaped at her.

"So what? We're just doomed to be two angels gunning to kill each other?" Dean asked with a thick voice.

"No, angels need permission to enter their vessel, they aren't like demons."

"Well that's it, we just say no." Sam said.

"It's not that easy in some cases..."

"Well we'll just stop the breaking of the seals." Dean said.

"If that is how you want to proceed, then I need Sam to understand that killing Lilith is not the answer to ending this. Revenge is not the answer here, Sam." She said, looking at him.

"Lilith is the one breaking the seals," he said angrily. "She has to die."

"That is not possible, Sam."

"And why the hell not?" He said, his voice raising slightly. Dean was staring at her curious anger pouring off him as well.

"Lilith is the last seal."

Sam gaped at her. "W-What?"

"She is the last of the sixty six seals, Sam. Seals are falling as we speak, her death is prophesied to be the turning point. Lucifer created the Demons, and she was his first. As the first demon falls he shall rise. Killing her would damn the Earth to his wrath."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So how do we stop it? She just continues breaking the seals and has someone kill her to free Lucifer? No, we have to stop her! We could kill her before the other seals fall!"

"Sam we aren't ready for that." Dean said, trying to reason with him.

"I am!"

"No. You aren't killing her, and you aren't drinking any more demon blood. The next demon we hunt is Ruby."

"She's saves our lives Dean!"

"She's manipulating you Sam! You heard what Em just said! Lilith is the last seal! Ruby has been guiding you to work with your demon mojo powers to kill Lilith! She knows Lilith is the last seal."

"No she doesn't." He said indignant.

"I bet you're raring to go, always telling her you're ready to go kill Lilith, begging her to take you to her. What does she say then Sam? When you ask her."

Sam picked a spot on the carpet and stared at it hard.

"I bet she tells you you're not ready. And every time she tells you that another seal falls doesn't it? Just slowly getting closer and closer to to the big six huh?"

"She doesn't know, Dean." Sam said thickly.

"She does. A demon as old as she is would know the different seals. And if she thinks you're hunting her we won't fid her either. She was a witch when she was human she would try and cloak herself from any and everything." Emmuel said quietly.

"She was human once?" Dean asked quietly.

"Yes... once a soul spends so long in hell they lose their humanity. Slowly but surely they change, a demon taking their place."

He nodded slowly.

Sam looked lost and it was near heartbreaking.

"Come here Sam." She said, he looked at her warily before slowly standing up and walking to her. Slowly she lifted two fingers and placed them on his forehead, nearly needing to stretch to the tips of her toes. A soft pale green light glowed where the tips of her fingers touched and Sams eyes closed against the bright light.

Suddenly he fell back and onto the couch unconscious and lightly snoring.

Dean jumped up. "Sam?! What did you do to him?" He asked angrily as he whirled to look at her.

"I cleansed his system of the demon blood, curing his addiction, he won't even remember the taste. I also put him to sleep, he is very stressed."

His anger deflated and he stood there staring at the wall for a moment.

"What started all of this? The breaking of the seals?"

"The seals have a domino effect. The only way to begin to break the seals is to break the first."

"And what was the first?" He asked. She took a deep breath and hesitated until his eyes snapped to her. Breaking eye contact for a moment she stared at the rise and fall of his chest.

"The first seal is broken when the Righteous Man in hell breaks and picks up the knife. It is said that he is the only one that can stop the return of Lucifer, but that isn't a prophecy, just speculation." She said quietly.

Her heart broke yet again as she watched his face crumble. Tears made his clear green eyes glassy and his cheeks reddened. Slowly he lowered himself to the couch.

"I can't do this. I'm not- how can you stand to be in the same room as me, let alone look at me?" He whispered.

"I am not here to judge you Dean. No one has the right to judge you but God. And even his judgement is off sometimes." She said gently.

"Besides, it is you who saved me." She walked over to him quietly and sat beside him slowly. He had his elbow braced on his knee and his chin in hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder over the mark that Castiel had left.

A low glow emitted from her hand and she pulled his coat from his shoulders and rolled the sleeve up. Now inside the thick scarring of the large hand print was a smaller hand, clear and smooth as the skin had been before.

"This will remind you, that while it hurts now, and is hard to overcome, scars can fade or heal, but we will always have them. You may have lost a bit of yourself down in the pit Dean, but you are still you. You aren't gone, and you've barely changed. The mark that Hell left on you may never go away, but it will fade and you will remember more of yourself with time."

He looked at the thin outline of scar tissue left and felt her wipe a few of his tears away. Shamed he turned his head and wiped the remaining water on his sleeve.

"Don't be ashamed to cry Dean. I have known you since far before you were born and I have always known you were strong. Sometimes the strongest warriors have the softest hearts. You aren't carrying this burden alone Dean." He let out a sigh and turned to her hugging her to his chest.

"Thank you, Em." She was starting to like that nick name.

"Always."


	7. Ch7

"I have to do something before we leave," She said as the boys packed their duffels to leave on a hunt.

"Ok, what's that?" Dean asked.

"I need to ward you from other angels. I assure you it's for your own safety."

"Ok sure, what do you need?"

"Just come here." She said, becoming them both forward. They stood shoulder to shoulder and she placed a hand on both their chests. Dean raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit to Sam. That look quickly turned into a grimace as a slight burn spread through their rib cages.

"I'm sorry that it burns, I didn't want it to be removable."

"That's it? We're warded?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I carved it into your ribs. Angels shouldn't be able to find you now unless you tell one specifically where you are. I also added some warding against demons, I know the two of you have anti possession tattoos, but someone could skin it off your chests, it should also be harder for them to find you now. If not impossible." They shuddered a grimace at the imagery but we're thankful none the less.

"Thank you." Dean said.

"Always," she replied looking into his eyes, he gave her a small smile and she returned it.

"Uhm, Em... I wanted to thank you too, for the cleansing."

"Any time Sam. You can always come to me with problems, the both of you." She said smiling, cupping one of their cheeks in each hand momentarily.

"The other angels must know you've told us their plans by now."

"They don't actually. While we are at a base level the same, I am humbly more powerful than them. I had centuries at Gods side as he thought out the creation of the new angels and their abilities. My power is far more developed and more deeply ingrained with my Fathers. My power rivals his and dwarfs theirs, I know their ways and they know nothing of me or how to find me, they can't hear me unless I speak to them. Much like they can't find God, I am invisible to them unless I seek them out."

"Aren't you worried that they'll... lock you out of Heaven or something?"

She smirked.

"They could try."

—————

She followed the boys out of the house and to their car.

"I do like the impala, Dean. You take good care of her."

He smiled, "so where are you headed? And how do we get in touch with you without tipping off the other wings about our location?"

She got a slight guilty look. "I may have added a locator to your warding that is tied to me..." she said glancing at the two of them from under her lashes.

Sam smirked a bit and Dean chuckled.

"But I won't appear when it's inconvenient! I promise! If you need me all you need to do is say my name, mentally or aloud. I'll hear you."

"Ok feathers, we'll call you. You gonna tell us where you're going?" Dean asked.

"I need to speak to Castiel."

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't make that face Dean. He is only following orders. Since his creation he has been conditioned to follow orders to the letter. Free will is not encouraged."

"You seem to have a great deal of free will."

"Well... His purpose for angels near the end was redefined by his fear of my power."

They nodded in understanding.

"Don't be a stranger." Dean said.

"Only a call away." She said with a wink.

"See ya, Em." Sam said.

"Later boys," she said before vanishing into the breeze.

"Dude," Sam sighed. Dean nodded.

—————

"Hello, Castiel." She said. His eyes widened. The woman had a kind smile on her face, and the largest pair of wings he had ever seen. Their feathers a calming pale green that shined in the sunlight.

"Hello." He said slightly unsure. He had heard there was a new angel, older than all the rest, the one that caused the disturbance in the Main Court not long ago. Emmuel.

"How are you?" She asked him. His eyebrows furrowed.

"I am well. And yourself?"

She smiled wider.

"I am extremely glad to meet you. I know we aren't supposed to choose favorites, but as of now, and most likely indefinitely, you are my favorite brother."

His head tilted to the side a bit, causing her to let out a small chuckle.

"And why is that?" He asked.

"You are the one that pulled Dean Winchester safely from the pit."

"I was just following orders."

"I know you were, but it is because of you by association that I am now free." That seemed to make him uncomfortable. "I wanted to thank you, Castiel."

"I don't know how to respond to that."

"I have watched you, all of you for so long. I've felt every new addition to our family and rejoiced for each of you. And yet you seem to be one of the only angels to completely grasp the beauty of human kind... Tell me Castiel, do you wish for all of the seals to fall and Lucifer to be set free?"

"Of course not. I could never wish for the destruction of our Fathers creation." He said with a look of dismay.

She smiled again. "Then you and I have a great deal to talk about."


	8. Ch8

The boys sat at Bobby's house waiting for information on another hunt.

The only disturbance had been Ruby's frantic calls as she tried to find Sam.

"I know what you're doing Ruby." Sam said.

"And what the hell do you think that is?" She had hissed.

"I'm not going to do it Ruby. I'm not killing Lilith, and I'm off the blood. If I ever see you again, it'll be you I kill."

"What, has your newly Hell risen brother finally gotten into your head? He's delusional Sam, that's what happens in the pit. If we don't kill Lilith we can't save the seals!"

"I know she's the last seal, Ruby."

She was silent. "You come near me or my brother again, and your dead." He said before snapping his phone closed.

Dean had kept a close eye on Sam since Emmuels departure, and after that call especially. He could see a world of difference. He was less irritable, and far more relaxed than Dean had seen him in months, years even.

Bobby was puttering around the kitchen with Sam leaned against a counter nursing a beer. Even with the world on his shoulders Dean felt lighter than he had since his return from Hell.

A gentle fluttering of wings behind him alerted him to her arrival.

"Hey Em." He said turning towards her.

"How'd you know it was me?" She asked with a smirk. He huffed a sarcastic laugh at her.

"Hey Sam, Bobby, get in here." He called.

"Hey, Em! What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Checking in, I've spoken to Castiel as well. He seems a bit lost at the moment. But I told him to call for me if he finds anything of importance."

"It's good to see you." He said smiling.

"You as well."

"Damn, son. This is your angel?" Bobby asked Dean. She smiled at him and quirked an eyebrow at Dean.

"She's not my angel, Bobby. She's the first angel."

"Yeah, yeah, she watches over your sorry ass. How are you, girl?"

"I'm good Mr. Singer, thank you for asking, I'm sorry for barging into your home." She said with a delicate smile.

Sam and Dean raised their eyebrows at one another, smirking when Bobby's face flushed red.

"Oh you don't gotta call me Mr. Singer. Call me Bobby, and you're welcome any time."

"Of course, thank you, Bobby." She said testing the name. Bobby was now so red the tips of his ears glowed. "Are you feeling feverish?" She asked concerned. She began to take a step forward her hand rising to heal whatever was causing the fever but became distracted and unsure when Dean and Sam began laughing.

"Oh I'm fine, don't you worry. I'm gonna go grab a beer, boys you want one?" At this both boys raised their already opened beers to cover their smirks. "Right... uhm. Emmuel, I don't know if it's rude to offer an angel a beer or..."

"It's fine Bobby, I think I'd like to try one. And please, call me Em."

"You've never had a beer? Got the finest beer this podunk town sells at the mini mart. I'll be right back... Em." He said before hurriedly shuffling back into the kitchen.

"I think Bobby has a bit of a crush." Sam mumbled.

"A crush?" She asked. "He looked fine to me, he was a bit flushed, is it one of his toes? I couldn't see his feet." Sam just laughed harder.

Dean tried to answer her through his laughing. "He means he thinks Bobby likes you... thinks you're pretty." He said his laughs slowly tapering off to a large smile.

"Oh." She said her eyes widened and a pretty blush dusted her cheeks. "That's very nice of him." Dean laughed again.

Bobby shuffled back in with gruff smile and handed her the cold bottle.

"Thank you Bobby." She said, the blush brightening her cheeks again. Dean and Sam looked to Bobby with smug smiles.

"Shut up idjits."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What is an idjit?" She asked and the boys laughed anew.

"He means idiot," Sam said gasping for breath.

"Oh, I get it." She smiled. "You're right." She said smiling to Bobby and it was his turn to laugh at the shocked faces of the boys. She stood smirking before bringing the bottle up to her lips and taking a sip of the beer.

She raised her eyebrows in appreciation before tipping the bottle back and draining well over half of it in one go. Everyone looked at her with shocked smiles.

"This is very good." She said smiling.

"I think you boys picked a good one with her." Bobby said.

"Hell yeah we did." Dean agreed, admiring the rosy tint to the pale woman's cheeks.

"So what were you boys up to?" She asked.

"We were waiting for a call to go on a hunt actually, figured we would gank some evil ass while we waited for word on a seal." Dean said.

She nodded before looking into space for a moment.

"There's a vengeful spirit two towns over." She said simply. The boys stared in surprise. "What?" She asked.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"I can sense she spirits unrest." She said.

"What, you have an evil radar?"

"I suppose you could call it that. Should I go exorcise it?"

"Wouldn't you want some back up?" Dean asked slightly surprised by her nonchalance.

"If you'd like to come, sure." She said smiling. "I like company. Do you mind if we don't drive? I could get us there and back much faster."

"You don't think we'll be there for a few days?" Sam asked.

"I don't think so, I can feel what the spirit is tied to, it won't be hard to find." Sam looked to Dean and shrugged.

"Just be gentle with us sweetheart." He said with a wink. She rolled her eyes with a smile and downed the rest of her beer.

"Thank you for the beer, Bobby. We should be back in an hour or two." She said passing the empty bottle into his outstretched hand. She walked over and stepped up to her toes to kiss Bobby's cheek and he promptly sputtered and blushed. The boys smirked at him behind her back.

"Y'all be safe now, and don't let those boys give you any trouble, girl. They kick up a fuss you let me know." He said sternly to her.

She laughed lightly. "We will Bobby, and I'll be sure to let you know." Dean made a suggestive face to Bobby before he broke into a little silent laughter.

"Alright boys," she said holding out both of her hands for them to each take one. "Let's fly." And with each of them holding her hands she blinked, leaving Bobby behind to listen to the gentle flapping of wings.


	9. Ch9

Not forty five minutes later they were back to the comfort of Bobby's couch, Sam and Dean covered in dirt while Em didn't have a hair out of place.

"So, it kicked their asses did it?"

"They wanted to try first. I told them Clarence only wanted to see his wife again, they thought he was trying to kill the woman that looked like her."

Bobby chuckled. "Maybe you boys'll listen to her next time."

Em had been miraculously able to calm the spirit after Sam and Dean had unceremoniously dumped salt on the women's scarf that he had been attached to. She let them get tossed around for a moment before calling out to the spirit by name.

When Clarence had looked at her he broke down in reverent ghostly tears. She had rested a hand on his forehead and murmured to him for a moment before apologizing for his untimely demise.

"I know you miss her Clarence. And she misses you, but if you continue down this path you won't ever see her again. Hurting others this way will separate the two of you, farther than you could imagine. You need to let go."

He had nodded silently and she reached over picking up the scarf and shaking off most of the salt. He lay a finger on the tassels dangling off the end one last time before closing his eyes and disappearing in an almost blinding light. She had looked to the boys then, huffing and covered in sweat and dirt. Dean had a small laceration on his lip that she pressed a small finger to and healed. They had locked eyes and she gave him a small smile

"You two really can be idjits." She said to them smiling. They both smiled lazily at her nearly exhausted.

She held out her hands and blinked them back to Bobby's. Dean had taken a moment before letting go.

She smiled when Bobby popped them on the backs of their heads as they both ducked in embarrassment.

"Now you're gettin my couch dirty. Go on one of you and shower."

"Dibs!" They shouted in unison before they both held out their hands. Em furrowed her brow and tilted her head as they jostled their hands for a moment before making shapes with their fingers.

"Dammit," Dean said, slumping in his seat. Sam smiled in triumph before slapping Dean on the shoulder while making his way to the bathroom.

"What game was that?" She asked him.

"Game? Oh uhh... rock, paper, scissors. It's how we delegate sometimes."

"I don't understand." She said quietly.

"Here let me see your hands." He said smiling. She held them both out.

"Now follow me, this is the rock," he said making a fist. "This is paper," he held his hand flat. "And this is scissors," he said holding out just two of his fingers.

"To play you lay one fist on the other palm, pump your hand up and down three times, and on the fourth you choose your weapon. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock."

She squinted at him for a moment before nodding.

"Can we try?" She asked.

"Sure," he said holding out his hands, fist in palm.

"Ok ready? Rock, paper, scissors, shoot." He held out rock as she held out paper.

She smiled triumphantly. "Paper beats rock!"

He chuckled at her, "yeah, yeah, beginners luck."

"We could try again." And they did, seven more times.

"Don't be a sore loser Dean." She said smiling at him. Dean hadn't noticed Bobby leaning against the doorframe with a small smile on his face.

"I'm not a sore loser, I let you win."

"No you didn't," she said with a smile.

"Did too."

"You want to know how I won?" She asked. He looked at her with mock curiosity. "You favor scissors." She smirked. He furrows his brow trying to remember their games, he did favor rock.

"So that's how Sammy always wins!" He groaned. She laughed at him.

"How I win what?" Sam asked coming in dresses in a pair of soft cotton pants and a t-shirt, his hair still damp.

"Dean was teaching me rock, paper, scissors. He favors scissors."

"Oh yeah, he does, totally." Sam said smirking at Dean.

"Alright idjit, off my couch and into the shower. Gonna have to burn the thing if you don't get your stank off it." Bobby said.

Once Dean got up he rolled his eyes and winked at Em on his way up the stairs. She smiled.

Sam walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers, handing one to her as he sat in a recliner to the side.

"I could clean your couch for you Bobby." She offered, opening her beer.

"Oh you don't have to do that, sweetheart. I'm just giving these boys a hard time." He said blushing again.

She just smiled and blinked. Suddenly the couch looked brighter and the light layer of dust on his knick knacks disappeared, the windows sparkled and the paint on the walls was no longer peeling. Even the fabric on the couch had repaired itself. They could hear Dean upstairs yelp as the water pressure jacked up a notch as well, the plumbing clear and the water heater repaired to brand new status.

"It's no trouble, really." She said smiling at the two gaping men.

Dean was down the stairs a few moments later, hair dripping and a pair of sweat pants low on his hips. Bobby thought he saw Em stare distractedly at the eldest Winchester's chest for a moment before jerking herself out of it.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Baby girls got the mojo." Bobby said looking around his home amazed. "Not to be a burden sweetheart, but you think you could alphabetize my everything?" He chuckled, clearly joking.

She smirked. "Only if you duck." Another blink and books, papers, and cases started to open and shuffle.

"Woah," Dean said ducking around a trunk that moved to the edge of the newly polished desk in the sitting room. It took a total of two minutes for things to be organized by the creature and size of book, all alphabetized of course.

"Boys, if you two don't keep her I will." It was the cleanest he had seen his house since he had lost his wife.

"Thank you Emmuel." He said, his voice weighed down by tears he wouldn't let himself shed.

"Any time Bobby."

—————

After drinking another beer with the boys and tipping them off about another case in Montana, Emmuel told them she needed to leave.

"I would come with you, but I need to try and speak with my brothers, I believe they're anxious about not being able to find the three of us." She said to them.

"Are you sure you're safe around them?" Bobby asked her. She may be eons older than him but he found himself becoming protective of the Anarchangel quickly. She smiled sweetly.

"I'll be fine Bobby, I promise. There's actually something I've been meaning to do for you before I leave as well." She said moving to stand I front of him.

"More?" He asked with a small smile.

"Do you mind if I ward you against the angels?"

"What you did for the boys? Might as well, I'd say. Could always use more protection."

Smiling she lightly placed her hand on his chest. Adopting a slightly rueful expression when he grimaced at the burning.

"I'm sorry it burns, but now I'll know where you are if you need me, the angels can't find you, and you're warded from demonic possession." she said.

Bobby wasn't getting any younger but suddenly he felt fifteen years younger than he had ten years ago and couldn't help but smile.

"What else did you do?" He asked.

"Well you did give me my first beer, I had to repay you somehow..." she said trailing off sheepishly.

"Damn, Bobby. You got taller, what happened?" Dean asked stepping in from the kitchen.

She turned a bit bashful, looking to Bobby to see if she should share. He looked intrigued.

"I cleared your body of impurities, you had the beginnings of liver damage and one of your kidneys wasn't functioning properly. I regulated your cholesterol and removed any plaque from your veins and arteries, which I also strengthened for good measure, and scanning your brain I found a small irregular mass of cells that was benign but beginning to press on your motor functions a bit. I also regulated your metabolism, strengthened your bones and straightened out your spine..."

She looked up at him through her lashes as she trailed off, honestly she had brought him to peak physical condition, she truly liked this human. He had thought she was pretty.

"Damn. I was a mess huh?" He said chuckling. "I feel like I have some sort of energy boost."

"The removal of impurities from your skin, muscles, organs, and bones released some oxytocin I believe."

"You are too good to be anywhere near any of us, you know that?" He asked her, an edge of seriousness to his voice and a glint in his gaze. He hadn't known her a full day and already he didn't know how he could ever repay her for the things she'd done for him and his boys. All because he gave her a beer.

"The only way to do good is to surround yourself with darkness to shine through." She replied.

"You better check in with me, you hear? Any time of day."

"I will." She smiled.

"Hey," Dean said. "How come you never ask us to check in?"

Bobby gave him a mocking look. "Because I know you idjits. You'll show up even when you're dead."

Em laughed lightly. It was true, both of them had returned from the dead.


	10. Ch10

"So, you are the great Emmuel."

"I wouldn't say great, Michael. Only our Father is great."

"So you've heard from him?" He asked with disdain. A cold look in his eyes, as if he had separated himself from the emotions that she knew he was capable of feeling.

"I've been locked in a box since before you were created. No, I haven't heard from him."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now."

She laughed freely at his arrogance.

"You tell me." She blinked.

He tried his hardest to launch himself forward nearly collapsing to his hands in a mockery of a bowing motion.

"What have you done?" He hissed.

"The same thing I did to Raphael, proved your rank." She said coldly. "All of you parade around our Fathers Heaven as though you own it. You have forgotten who it belongs to."

"He left us here, his own children, to run a creation that we never asked for! We are his children! And he abandoned us! I would think you of all of us would know how that feels." He yelled.

Her voice dropped, becoming acidic and biting.

"Don't think to even try and understand how I feel. I would think that creatures who are centuries old, some of the oldest beings created, would learn to grow up! Should he be destined to solve all of your problems for the rest of eternity, Michael? Is that what you need? Someone to cling to when you can't figure it out?"

He heaved in anger, opening his mouth to continue, but before he could speak she slashed a hand through the air removing his tongue and letting it fall to the floor. He wailed.

"I'm not finished," she hissed. "You take your power for granted, and are lucky that I haven't deemed it necessary to rip your grace from your chest yet. You have the gall to threaten me and you don't even realize who you are playing with. Your actions are nearing full blown blasphemy. Letting the seals fall to force agreement from the eldest Winchester... to kill one of your own brothers?" He gazed at her in fearful shock.

"Yes Michael, I have been listening. Killing Lucifer is not something that can be done without releasing him. You want to kill him, destroying most if not all of humanity in the process, and create heaven on Earth." She laughed.

"Know this," she said, moving close to him and getting in his bloodied face. "The seals may fall, and he may be released, but Sam Winchester will not be the one to bring on the apocalypse, I will make sure of that. And you can take your eye off of Dean Winchester. You will never, never, use him as a vessel." She paused looking down on his bent form.

"Who do you think warded the Winchester's from you? If it comes to it, I will be the one to kill Lucifer. As you can guess," she said looking to his fallen tongue and the blood rushing down his chin, "I could do it quite easily."

He sneered at her through his pain and she waved her hand again, the blood disappearing, his tongue flying back into his mouth, and his feet releasing in one fell swoop. He looked down to his feet before raising his head to an empty room.


	11. Ch11

"Seals are falling faster now," Dean murmured. She sighed.

"I've been trying to catch up to them but it seems that Heaven and Hell have doubled their efforts."

"We've got to do something. This is all my fault."

"No it isn't Dean."

"The hell its not!" He yelled. "If I hadn't broken the first seal-."

"Then someone else would have. Be it your father, your children, your great grandchildren, someone in your family would have taken the knife in hell and started all of this. You need to quit looking at this like it is your full responsibility. I know how angry it makes you, thinking that you weren't the one to decide your life, but those who have been running Heaven have been pulling strings since far before even your great grandfather was born trying to reach this outcome. They have pulled every statistic they can think of to reach this. It is not you, but them who have brought this upon the world. And they will answer for it." She said with a hard look in her eyes. He stared at her transfixed for a moment.

"So they played my weaknesses."

"It's not a weakness. It's a breaking point." She said sadly. "You were the catalyst, not the build up. Not everything that's wrong in the world is your fault, Dean."

She walked to him and rested a hand on his shoulder, the aches and pains from the hunt they'd been on slowly leaked away.

"You keep doing that I might think I'm invincible." He joked quietly.

"No you won't," she said. "You'll go get into some trouble and take a hit and you'll remember."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he chuckled.

"You always have my confidence Dean."

He sat staring into her eyes for a moment when suddenly the motel room door swung open.

"I think I have another case." Sam said oblivious to the closeness of the pair.

—————

They were down to the last seal. In total they had saved twelve but there were hundreds, and with only sixty six needed to break Lucifer out, the ones breaking them were in the lead.

Emmuel knew it was only a matter of time. Sam had gone on a hunt two days before, alone, despite her warnings and some how the angels had recruited the Jehovahs Witness to pray to them the location of Dean.

She should have been there. She should have known that the second to last seal was just a distraction for her. They had known she was following them trying to save seals.

They had snatched them both right from under her nose. Seeing no one else that would be able to get through to a demon drugged Sam she had to rescue Dean first and foremost. She clenched her teeth and blinked.

"Em," he said relieved.

"Hello Dean." She said with a passing smile. She looked around the room, it was ornate and cushy. A platter of burgers and a bucket of iced beers sat to the side. He dropped the heavy cherub statue he had been slamming into the wall, and when he looked back, he then sighed in disappointment at the lack of damaged plaster.

"Let's sit," she said. He complied a little wary of her motives. Then he realized as she sat next to him and glared at the door that she was more than unhappy. She was furious.

A few moments later the door opened and Zachariah, who was looking back to the person following him, walked in. He was being slowly followed by Castiel who looked relieved when he saw Emmuel.

After closing the door Zachariah looked up expecting only Dean.

"Hello Zachariah." She said calmly, rage bubbling beneath her skin. He froze. She smiled sharply. "I told Michael to stay away from Dean. Did he not pass along the message?" She asked.

"Emmuel. Such a lovely surprise, we were just getting to-."

"I know what you are doing. And so does he. He has been informed and has already explicitly declined."

"I think the boy can speak for himself. Dean?" He said turning to him.

"I already told your junkless ass. My brother and I will not be your chess pieces."

"That's funny," he said his tone sharpening. "Where is Sam by the way? He isn't off guzzling more of that awful demon blood is he? It would be so inconvenient if he suddenly forgot what the last seal was, wouldn't it?" He said smiling evilly, trying to turn Dean against his brother. With a slash of her hand she silenced and restrained him against the wall, her hand curling around an invisible throat.

"I wonder what our Father would think of an angel he created working with a demon to drug a human in order to force an apocalypse. Maybe I'll let you live long enough to find out." With a great heave of her hand he was lifted into the air. She made a motion as if to grasp something behind his back with her other hand and with a wrenching motion his screams filled the small room, Castiel looked on in near terror as he saw the large wings that had been attached to Zachariahs back fall to the floor unceremoniously before he felt the burst of power incinerate them.

Dean cringed as he saw the imprint of the wings on the floor.

"I warned Heaven. You toy with my Fathers creation, and you will suffer. But look what Michael has sent you into. War. As I told him, the seals may fall, and Lucifer may rise, but that won't stop me from protecting the humans and the earth they inhabit. Besides, the boys have known your plan since the day I was freed. Now crawl back to Michael and deliver a message for me... He's next." And with that she dropped him to the floor and banished him.

"Come along you two, we have a brother to save." She said holding out her hands to them. They held on and vanished.

—————

"Sam!" She said in surprise as they arrived at the decrepit church ruins.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Em, I didn't do it! I remembered what you said and I couldn't do it! You have to believe me!" He said loudly. She searched his eyes.

"I believe you Sam, what's happening?"

"Ruby, she drugged me with demon blood. Forced it on me, I couldn't save the girl, and when she realized I wouldn't do it she tried to kill me. I almost exorcised her but she had some sigil lock on herself that kept her in the body, she rushed in there, she's going to try and kill Lilith herself. I can't get in."

They all took off running to the church and just as Emmuel burst the doors from their hinges they heard Ruby cackling.

"I did it! He's free! Our Father is finally free!"

They were her last words as Emmuel drew a long dagger from thin air and sliced her head from her shoulders, an orange glow lighting up the body.

They all turned to the portal before suddenly being blasted back. They all jerked awake 20,000 feet in the air.

Something had saved them, and she remembered what that power had felt like from long ago.

Looks like he wasn't as tired as he'd said he was.


	12. Ch12

"I must go find God." Castiel said.

"Castiel I have already spoken with Joshua. He doesn't want to be found, therefore he won't be."

"There is an amulet. It heats up in the presence of God I could-."

"No, Castiel. Deans necklace won't solve a thing."

"My necklace?" He asked, looking down at it. "What does that have to do with it?"

"It's the amulet he's talking about."

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "It's never heated up before."

"You've never been in the true presence of God either." She said smirking. "Castiel, if God doesn't want to be found nothing, not even the amulet, will find him."

"Then how are we to cast Lucifer back into the pit?"

"Why can't Em do it?" Sam asked. Curiosity winning out.

"I could-."

"Great! She shoved him back in presto, we're saved." He said.

"Presto? Dude." Dean sniggered.

"What?"

"But!" Em exclaimed, cutting off the brotherly banter as Dean had opened his mouth to reply. "I can't open the cage. It took the power of God to open the cage and shove Lucifer inside. And while I have great power it is very nearly nothing compared to Him. There are only two options that I could think of. One would be to kill him before Michael decides to force Dean into accepting the position as his vessel. I've heard them talking, they want Dean to accept so they can try to kill Lucifer before he gets his vessel. Unlucky for them, and us, he is already circling one."

"I thought I was his vessel." Sam said.

"You are, but Lucifer isn't stupid, he wants to build his following first, revive old 'friends' to help him destroy earth first. He like the others have no care for human life, would rather it be quashed." She said with an angry scowl.

"So what do we do?" Dean asked.

"That would be option two, we find a way to open the cage. Either we open the cage and I shove him in, or... I kill my little brother." She said, the gleam in her eyes dimming a bit.

"Lucifer deserves-."

"You have no idea what Lucifer deserves, Castiel." She said sharply, her eyes cutting to the other angel. "Yes, he is throwing the mother of all tantrums, but he was locked away in burning damnation by the man he called Father. The only thing that saved me from that fate was my willingness to follow Him, and do as He asked. I asked no questions, and told no lies. Lucifer questioned him, showed too much of the free will that he was afforded. He, like our other siblings, is acting like a child. He hates humans but doesn't realize just how alike he is to them. You have no right to decide his fate, or what he deserves. We are not judging him, we are protecting this world from him." Her eyes glowed with her impassioned speech.

Castiel bowed his head, slightly shamed. It was his brother too after all.

"I understand." He said.

She cut her eyes to the boys and she could see they understood. They glanced at each other before nodding to her slowly. They knew what it was like for someone they loved to be so dangerous.

"So..." Sam said slowly. "How do we open the cage?" He asked.

"Well, with the rise of Lucifer the four horsemen will be upon us soon." She said. "Their rings should create a portal to the cage."

"Why didn't the demons just use those to get Lucifer out in the first place?" Dean asked.

"It's not very well known. I'm sure you've noticed that I've tried to stay away from as many demons as possible."

"Yeah, any you come across end up dead." Dean said remembering the look on her face as she wordlessly and weaponlessly caused the orange glow of death in many of the demons she had run across. She nodded.

"The rings of the four horsemen were kept secret to many in heaven, and many in hell because the only way to obtain them is to forcibly remove them, finger included, or have them given to you. So in order to ensure that the horsemen would play nice God made the lock on Lucifers door into the shape of their rings. The horsemen wouldn't want anyone to know for their own safety."

"That's smart," Sam said.

"Now that Lucifer is free however, the horsemen won't feel the need to hide themselves away. They'll be more vulnerable."

"So we gank ourselves some horsemen, get some rings, and find Lucifer."

"Sounds easier said than done," Sam said.

"What about your evil radar, Em, you picking up anything?" Dean asked her gently as he lightly laid a hand on the small of her back. He could tell she had been very tense for the last day or so, rubbing her temples every so often.

"It's muddled now, it's not overwhelming exactly but there are so many restless spirits and other negative things that have awoken now that he's risen it's harder to distinguish where things are or how many there are. I could find Lucifer easily, however I don't think I'll be able to find the horsemen as quickly." She said as she relaxed back into his hand.

Castiel looked at her oddly for a moment, a sense of sadness in his eyes, before saying something that didn't shock Emmuel but definitely took the boys by surprise.

"I have been cast out of Heaven."

"What? How could they do that?" Sam asked agitated.

"Because he didn't choose to follow their plan, he helped us." Emmuel said. "They've been scouring Heaven trying to find a way to lock me out as well, what they don't know is that Heaven has known my power far longer than it has known theirs. It is familiar with me."

"You say that like Heaven has a mind of its own." Dean said.

"You could say that," she said. "The longer you're in Heaven, the more familiar it is with your power, or aura if you will. The more familiar Heaven is with you the harder it is for it to forget you. They won't be able to find a way to lock me out, no matter how hard they try, it sees me as an elder, someone it's known since creation, it's sister in a way. It will always know me." She said calmly as if speaking of an old friend. "I'm sorry I can't say the same for-. Actually. Come here Castiel."

He eyed her warily, not forgetting the way she tore Zachariahs wings off like a child playing with a butterfly.

But he complied.

Dean moved further to the side expecting to be more than a little blinded by whatever magic she was sure to perform.

When Castiel stood before her she reached up, still considerably shorter than him, and cupped his face in her hands.

"You care more for our Fathers creation than any other angel that I have come across, you shouldn't be barred from your home. This shouldn't hurt Castiel, but it may be a little warm."

Slowly her eyes began to burn brightly, small pools of still sea water, and her hands brightened with them. Light shown from Castiel's eyes and mouth when he gasped. They stood there for what seemed to be minutes but the exchanges only lasted around thirty seconds before the light slowly faded from the both of them.

Castiel stared at her in awe, a single tear glistening in one eye. Then he hugged her tightly, an odd occurrence for the normally stoic angel. Looking up at his wings she saw they had grown slightly, the obsidian feathers tapering off to now pale green tips. He glanced at them as well, huffing out a breath at their beauty.

Sam and Dean looked at each other a little confused.

"What- Uh, what happened?" Sam asked.

He reluctantly let her go. "Emmuel... she filtered her power through my grace. She..." he trailed off looking to her.

"I changed the general make up of his inner core, his grace. He is still all Castiel, but he has been deeply touched by power older than any other angel after me. He would technically now be considered the second eldest angel in existence."

They all stared at her in awe.

"You shared everything with me. Why would you do that?"

"Not everything, but nearly, I won't have anyone that knows how to block me from Heaven for the safety of both of us. I did that because you are the only other angel that I have met that truly wants to make a positive difference in our Fathers world. You have good intentions Castiel. And now, you'll have the information to make well formed decisions about Heavens future, no one can lock you from Heaven now but me."

"You've given me back my home." He said thickly.

"Only repaying the favor." She said before looking over to Dean who dusted over lightly with a pale blush.

"And just think how shocked their faces will be when you flutter your happy ass back up to the big cloud." Dean said with a smirk.

Castiel smiled back with no lack of mischief. Suddenly he was gone, leaving Emmuel with a small smile on her face as she shook her head.

"Michael was very surprised." He said with a roguish grin.

"Jeez!" Dean said startled by the sudden arrival of the angel behind him. Emmuel laughed outright.

"I thought it would be interesting to randomly appear in parts of Heaven. Everyone thinks that I am cast out. I'm sure he thought he was hallucinating." He smiled.

"He deserves that." She smiled, trying to soften her earlier outburst. He smiled at her gently.

"Alright little brother, boys, lets go find ourselves some horsemen."


	13. Ch13

"Hello Bobby." Emmuel said gently. She had waited for the boys to leave before coming to visit his hospital room, wanting to talk to him alone.

"Hey, girl." He said morose.

"How are you feeling?"

"Young and helpless, sweetheart. Tired to tell you the truth."

She smiled at him and gently cupped his cheek.

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

"I am too. I promised you I'd be careful. Got arrogant."

She had gone looking for the horsemen while Sam, Dean, and Bobby had all been researching in their motel room. They had been attacked by demons. Sam and Dean had easily dispatched their opponents before turning to help Bobby, only to see him held against the chest of the last demon.

Sam threw the Rubys stolen knife to Bobby who caught it and killed the demon, but not before he'd been stabbed deeply in the stomach, paralyzing him from the waist down. They had only just managed to get him to the hospital in time.

She knew she was going to heal him, there wasn't a thought in her mind otherwise. But she would need to wait until he was discharged before fully healing him. For now she took the pain and knit together the flesh on his stomach lightly causing the wound to look a week or so old rather than fresh. The feeling returned to his legs as well.

"Once you're discharged." She said quietly a meaningful look in her eyes.

He teared up.

"Why?"

"You can't miraculously be healed, the doctors would-."

"No, girl, why are you doing this for us? Any of us idjits." A tear slipped down his cheek and she wiped it away deftly.

"Because Bobby, even though you got in this business for revenge, you saw a position that needed filling, people who needed saving, and you did it. Long after you took your revenge. You continued out of the goodness of your heart. And it would be a shame for the world to lose someone like you." She said.

Quietly she handed him a couple tissues to dry his eyes. "They see you as a father, you know? Sam and Dean... any good memory they have of family features you. Playing catch with them, a stray ball game or two... you are the man who actually let them be kids." She had a tear in her eye.

Cupping his cheek again she smiled to him. "I know what you endured... and you were so young... I feel no shame in telling you that you wouldn't find him in Heaven, and you shouldn't feel guilty." He looked at her shocked. "I saw what would have happened that night had you not done what you did, and she would have died if it weren't for you." Tears began streaming steadily down his cheeks but he couldn't look away from her eyes.

"And the guilt you felt over your wife is unnecessary, she looks on you fondly Bobby." He gasped. "She knew what you didn't- couldn't, see. You would have been a wonderful father, and you were to those two boys out there in that waiting room. They love you with every fiber of their being, and that will never change."

She stared in his eyes hard and nodded gently, her own eyes glistening with fat unshed tears. He nodded back in acceptance, a deep weight that he didn't know he was carrying finally lifted off his chest.

"You are a good man, Bobby. That is why I help you, why I love you like those boys do. If I were human, you would be the one I would want as a father, you're a second father to me." He let out a breath, giving her a watery smile.

"I think I've had enough chick flick moments now to last a lifetime," he said gruffly after a few moments, gripping her hand to let her know she was understood and loved as well.

"So that's where Dean got that from." She smiled.

He let out a small chuckle. "Of course it is, girl. We're men after all."

Sam and Dean appeared in the doorway smiling at the two sitting on the hospital bed talking quietly.

"All we gotta do is get those rings Sammy. Then we can shove Lucifers ass in the pit, and take Em on an extended vacation to Disneyland."

"Disneyland, Dean? Why the hell would she want to go there?"

"Happiest place on earth, Sammy. We gotta show her she can have some fun here, don't want her to leave." He said reluctantly.

"You really think she'll disappear after this is all over?" He asked looking more than a little upset at the prospect himself.

Castiel appeared behind them.

"She plans on staying here on Earth." He said causing both Winchester's to jump.

"Dammit, Cas."

"I apologize, I haven't fully grasped the art of arriving in a less sneaky manner." Sam chuckled.

"Why has she not healed him yet?" Castiel asked his head tilted.

"She said she wanted to wait until he was discharged, didn't want a medical miracle to make the news. She patched him up a bit I think, get him out of here faster." Castiel nodded.

"Alright idjits, get in here." They heard Bobby call.

"How you feeling old man?" Dean asked, Em smiled.

"Like I could still bend you over my knee." He said chuckling.

"Castiel and I are going to go out and look for the horsemen. We'll come find you when we know something. You three take a moment then get the doctor in here to check him out." She said with a smile.

"Hey," Dean said. "You two be careful and be sure you come and get us. We want to help in any way we can."

She walked over and hugged Sam before turning to Dean.

"We'll be careful. I promise," she said giving him a hug around the neck. His arms curled around her back pulling her tightly to him and they clung to each other for a moment. All too soon, in his opinion, they let go and she waved as she and Castiel popped off to God knows where, the fluttering of wings was the only indication they'd been there at all.

"Boys, I think I may like her more than I like the two of you." Bobby said half seriously.

"That's alright Bobby. We completely understand," Sam said.

"I love you boys. Like you were my own. I want you to know that." He said, an edge of a thick throat behind the words.

Dean stared at him for a moment. They were all quiet taking in the warm atmosphere in the room.

"We feel the same way Bobby. More than you know." He said quietly.

—————

"So how long you think it'll be before those two get together?" Bobby asked Sam once they had gotten him back to his house. Emmuel had arrived moments after them, pulling Dean into the living room to talk about the horsemen.

Sam raised his eyebrows.

"What? You think I didn't notice?" He asked. Sam laughed.

"I don't think they even notice it, Bobby. I mean, she's older than Heaven and she's never been in any type of relationship. She probably doesn't even know what it would be like. And you know Dean... he's never been a relationship guy." He said.

"He's a relationship guy. I could tell you that. Think about it, the hunt is his whole life, could you have a steady relationship doing what we do? Having to worry about her every time you leave the house?" Bobby said looking at him pointedly.

"No, of course not." Sam said.

"Hooking up is how that boy copes. What if you found you a woman who you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, could take care of herself in any situation. Knows all about your past and is still sticking around, good, bad, and ugly."

A look of comprehension settled itself on Sams face. And he turned to look into the living room. Dean sitting close with Em on the couch, their knees grazing lightly and his arm half behind her.

"Damn." He mumbled. Bobby nodded.

"I think she'd be good for him, kid."

—————

They had barely escaped Pestilence. The only one that hadn't been affected was Emmuel, after all she didn't need a human vessel.

"What will you do now, little girl? While your guts are slowly rotting?"

"Is that what that is?" She asked. "Huh. It tickles." She slashes her hand through the air, severing all the fingers on his right hand. The ring flew from the floor to her hand effortlessly, his blood rolling down her raised forearm.

Pestilence disappeared quickly once his power source had been taken. Laughing about how they were too late. Little did he know she had already found his stash of Croatoan Virus that he had injected in his 'flu vaccine.'

She had enjoyed a little destruction, that day.


	14. Ch14

When they followed a case of over zealous lovers that had eaten each other, Castiel had thought a Cupid was behind it. She knew it wasn't but she was so interested in meeting the lower level angels that her excitement overpowered her need to continue the case, and it was possible.

"Show yourself!" Castiel demanded in the back room of the restaurant after calling to the Cupid in Enocian.

After a few moments of silence Dean looked around confused.

"Am I missing something?" He asked. Behind him the cherub appeared, a large smile on his face. Suddenly he was rushing forward and hugging Castiel for all he was worth.

"Brother! It is so good to see you!" He said before letting go and rushing for Sam.

"And new friends! I love new friends!"

"Is this a fight?" Dean asked from the cherubs arms, nearly frantic. "Are we in a fight?"

The cherub let him go.

"This is their way of saying hello." Castiel said.

"Well I don't like it." He replied.

"No one does."

Suddenly the cherub noticed her and she smiled wide.

"Biggest sister!" He said, she opened her arms wide, welcoming the sudden hug from the overly large and naked celestial being.

"Hello little brother!" She laughed as he swung her in a circle.

"Well someone likes it." Dean chuckled.

"It is so good to meet you! Everyone in Heaven said you were mean, but you are so nice I can see it!"

"How could I be mean to someone so loving?" She asked happily, her eyes twinkling with her smile.

"Oh I love love!! Isn't it so wonderful?"

"It is." She smiled gently, pausing. "We were wondering if you could help us little brother. A couple that was marked by your arrows... they were so enveloped with each other that they..."

"They ate each other." Castiel said bluntly. Near immediately the cherubs eyes welled with tears. She looked to the cherub, and his face immediately answered their question before they could even ask it.

"It wasn't him Castiel." Em said.

"You thought it was me? It wasn't! Please brother read my mind! You'll see, please!" The Cupid asked Castiel. Reluctantly Castiel looked into his eyes before nodding.

"He's telling the truth. However that doesn't explain why Every person that has died has been marked by your arrow."

He began wailing.

"Oh, little brother it's ok! We're working on fixing it now! I promise!" Em said with haste as she pat his back in another hug.

"I'm confused." Sam said. Dean nodded in agreement.

"Boys, I've been thinking... what do all of our victims have in common?" She said over the cherubs shoulder, he was still sniffling and she was offering the only comfort she could in her hug.

Sam scrunched his brow, before it flattened out. "They all acted like they were starving." He said.

"Exactly," she said holding hands with the pacified Cupid. "It's Famine."

Dean looked at her oddly for a moment. She seemed to be clinging to the Cupid.

"I don't understand, I thought Famine was about food."

"It is, but it's also about whatever you're starving for. Love, food, alcohol. It's about your greatest desires."

"Ok, so another horseman. We got this, I say let's go find him." Dean said. If he was being honest all he really wanted to do was take Emmuel back to the motel room and hold her for a while... what?

"Yes... we should," she said looking sadly at the Cupid.

"It's alright big sister. Now I can go tell everyone how wonderful you are!" He said before picking her up in yet another massive bear hug. Dean suddenly felt a stab of jealousy at the display of affection.

"Maybe I'll see you again some day," she said smiling at him.

"I would love that!" He said before backing away and waving at the rest of the small crowd and fluttering off to continue his work.

Emmuel sighed wistfully.

"Their wings are rather small aren't they?" She mused. Castiel nodded in agreement.

Back at the motel Sam confessed his near slip up with Demon blood earlier in the day.

"You have to lock me up." He begged. "I don't want to compromise the hunt."

Emmuel sighed. "We'll leave Castiel with you. His vessel seems to be affecting his appetite," she said glancing to Castiel as he ate yet another burger.

"Jeez man, how many is that now?"

"I've lost count," he said through a mouthful. "It's in the low hundreds..." he took another large bite. "These make me very happy."

He had a large smile on his face.

They ended up handcuffing Sam to the sink in the bathroom so he could easily get to water or the toilet if he needed, and they set Castiel to watch him before disembarking in the Impala.

As they set outside the diner, where Famine had holed himself up, she looked over at Dean.

"You don't seem very affected." She mused quietly. He considered it for a moment.

"I am," he said looking into her eyes. "But I like to think I have better control than others." He said simply before forcing himself to tear his eyes from her. She sat confused for a moment. Before she could ask any further questions he spoke again.

"So we know the plan?" He asked.

"I go in, you come in after, Famine is very frail so it shouldn't be to hard to actually cut the ring from his hand but he will be guarded. I'll exorcise the demons and you sweep in and grab the finger."

"Ugh, I hate the finger."

It had almost worked too, but a large demon had been waiting in the alley, slipping in after Emmuel and bashing her over the head, knocking her out cold. Dean had nearly been killed until Sam ran in, Famine had sent in demons armed with raw red meat to distract Castiel then Sam, ravenous for the blood, killed them both.

After Famine consumed the demons meant for Sam, Sam had obliterated Famine from the inside out, splattering blood throughout the diner and all over Dean and an unconscious Emmuel as well as himself. Picking up the ring, and resisting licking his lips he walked over to Dean, helping him up off the floor.

Dean looked at him concerned, "Sammy?"

He just shook his head and clenched his teeth before walking over to Emmuel and motioning for Dean to help him pick up the unconscious Anarchangel. Once they had gotten her up, looking to the floor in amazement as gargantuan imprints of wings drug through the blood on the floor, Dean slung her up into his arms bridal style.

"Cas!" Dean yelled to the sky.

A shamed Castiel covered in raw ground beef appeared, his eyes widening as he took them in.

"Little help?" Dean asked his teeth clenched at the smell of raw meat.

Castiel placed a hand on each of their shoulders and suddenly they were back in the motel.

As if he didn't want to harm her any further he slowly cupped Emmuels cheek and they watched in amazement as her injury began to glow before it slowly sealed, the blood that had been flowing before stopped all together.

"She should be fine," he said gruffly. "She will wake up shortly." He backed away, looking to the floor.

Dean had walked into the bathroom quickly grabbing a wet washcloth and gently swiping the blood from her face.

He sighed in relief when her eyes fluttered open.

"Dean," she whispered.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" He asked.

"I think I missed one." She said with a smirk. He chuckled.

"Packed a hell of a punch didn't he?"

They found the bar that had been used to bludgeon her later, after Castiel softly demanded to know what had happened.

Someone had melted one of Thors hammers and mixed it with dirt from the gates of Hell. Just enough for any demon to be able to weld it.

—————

"Hey, Bobby." She said quietly, standing in the threshold of the kitchen. He turned to her from the fridge, placing the two beers he had pulled out on the counter.

She had been quieter the last few days, shaken that something had hurt her so badly. She doubted it would happen again, Famine had been prepared for anything. He had always been a paranoid bastard.

"How you feeling, girl?" He asked her.

She raised her arms, gesturing for a hug. He walked across the kitchen and gathered her in his arms.

"I'm ok," she said quietly.

Bobby nodded against the top of her head. Looking up he noticed Dean standing further back in the living room. He nodded his head to the boy, telling him to come over.

Taking the hint he nearly tripped over a rug in his haste to reach them, at which Bobby rolled his eyes.

When Dean finally reached them he put a hand on Em's shoulder and Bobby let up on his grip. Em looked up to Dean before leaning into his chest, relaxing against him with a sigh.

Bobby smiled at the two of them, wrapped up in each other, as they walked back to the couch and sat close.

He could hear Sam snoring in the side room, Castiel posted in a chair next to him looking around the room aimlessly.

His weary children, his warriors, resting up for their next battle.


	15. Ch15

"Do you even know who I am?!" The demon yelled.

"Your name is Crowley." She said staring the stout demon down. "You are the self proclaimed 'king of hell,' a simple crossroads demon, though I do believe you were dethroned by Lucifer."

He looked at her slightly unnerved, trapped in the devils trap Dean had drawn in clear matte paint on the concrete.

"Where are Moose and Squirrel? And their little angel friend, Castiel. Since when do they send little girls to do their jobs?" He asked.

She had mastered the art of cloaking her abilities long ago.

"Don't you worry about them," she said menacingly. "They are taken care of."

"So they've finally met their match, in... a five foot three waif of a girl. Interesting." She remained stoic and silent.

"What is it that you want?" He asked exasperatedly. "King of Hell here, I do have business to attend to."

"Where is he?" She asked.

"Where is who?"

"Death."

He paused for a minute, squinting at her slightly.

"Who are you?" He asked again. Suddenly he found himself pressed against the edge of the trap, lifted off the ground by at least a foot. His eyes bugged and his face reddened and she hadn't even moved a finger.

"I should kill you." She said. "There are other ways to find out where Death is, but the boys told me this would be the fastest way, and I listened to them, trusted their judgement. Maybe I can tell them you threatened them, left me no choice."

"What are you?" He gasped out.

"I am a demons worst nightmare. Now, where is Death?" She asked her eyes glowing.

"Chicago," he gasped. "He's in Chicago, massive storm, millions expected to die."

"And who has his scythe?" She ground out, already knowing he had it. She had felt it's power the second the demon had materialized.

He scrambled for his inner pocket and produced a thin and wide wooden box and held it out in a shaking hand. It then flew across the room and into her awaiting hands.

Suddenly he slumped to the ground, the only move she had made was to grab the box out of the air.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" She asked.

"What are you?"

"You will forget we even met, why should I tell you?" She asked. A delicate smug smirk on her face. With a wave of her hand he found himself alone, wondering why he was in a devils trap in the middle of Iowa.

—————

"Did you find him?" Sam asked as she appeared in Bobby's living room.

"Yes," she smiled. "He's sitting in the devils trap in Iowa wondering how he got there in the first place."

"You let him live?" Dean asked amused.

"I must admit he is good for information, and procuring rare objects," she replied as she pulled the box from thin air.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Deaths Scythe. We're going to Chicago."

"Death is holed up in Chicago?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, apparently he is going to cause a large storm killing millions."

"Alright then let's go gank Death." Dean said.

"I'm confused though, there's something I don't understand..." She said trailing off a look of concentration on her face.

"What's that, sweetheart?" He asked.

"Death, as a being, is usually very balanced in the way he does things. He always has a reason. It's he who can control the reapers, they work for him. Why would he suddenly kill millions of people in one fell swoop?" She said looking up to him.

"Maybe he finally feels free without the leash of hell." Sam said.

"Or maybe, he has a new type of leash..." she said quietly.

—————

"The reapers are misleading," Castiel said as they walked through the seemingly deserted downtown area. "I can feel his presence."

"I can too, he's down the street." Her eyes zeroed in on a pizza shop down the road.

"What you think he stopped by for a slice before he bulldozes the town?"

"Death is a fan of junk food," she said nodding.

"So what we sneak in the back and slice off his hand?" Dean asked.

"No, we're going to go in and talk to him."

"Excuse me? He could kill us." He exclaimed.

She looked up and into his eyes. "Do you trust me?" She asked. He firmed his mouth but his shoulders deflated.

"Yeah... yeah I trust you."

They made their way down the street and stopped just outside of the entrance.

"Let me speak to him first," she said. "Would you mind waiting here?"

He gave her a troubled look flashing back to her blood covered face but nodded, mumbling for her to be careful. She squeezed his hand before she reached for the door pushing it open and listening as the bells above her rang out.

She moved into the dining room and saw him seated at a table enjoying a slice of pizza.

"Hello, Emmuel." He said with a nod of his head.

"Hello sir," she said calmly as she walked forward and removed the box from her coat. "I believe this is yours." She set it down before him.

"You haven't changed a bit have you?" He asked with the ghost of a smile. "It's been a long time."

"Very," she smiled.

"For the record, I told that idiot father of yours it would be stupid to lock you away."

"I'm sure he had his reasons." She said.

"Have you tried the pizza here? It's quite good."

"I doubt it will be here much longer."

"I'll have you know, I don't wish for this place to be destroyed," he said raising his chin and showing her the fine chord of magic wrapped around his neck. She gasped.

"So I was right. Lucifer's leashed you."

"He has. The arrogant child he is."

"Most of them are," she said slowly standing up. "May I?" She asked gesturing to the chord.

"Can you?" He asked one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"I think I can." He nodded to her.

Softly she walked to his side of the table and laid a hand on his thin forehead. A glowing thread leached out of his throat and wrapped around the chord, pale green wrestling with the orange restraint. After a moment or so she saw the pale green win out, disintegrating the chord and freeing Death.

He took a deep breath.

"Ahh," he said, "much better."

Looking to her with a smile he spoke again. "I know why you are here."

"And you deserved respect that the others did not." She replied.

"My brothers can be quite full of themselves, you and I have that in common," he said as he slid his ring off his finger. She looked up to him cautiously.

"The only reason you are getting this ring, is because I want that arrogant child shoved back in his box." He said. "And... because I like you. You never expect anything in return for your kindness, and I know you are honest enough to return it. I do demand however, that you slap Dean Winchester on the back of the head for me." She heard a scoff behind her and rolled her eyes.

"You deserve it for listening in Dean," she said with a smirk.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok." He said without shame, his concern for her evident in his voice. She smiled over her shoulder at him.

"I always knew you would be the one to draw in humans."

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone of me?" She asked.

"I figured they would need a good kick in the ass one day, who better to deliver it than you?... Dean, do take care of her. I will be greatly saddened the day I am forced to reap her." She smiled gently at him. Death had been around even longer than she had, maybe longer than her Father.

"I thought angels were immortal." Dean said looking stricken.

"We are, but everything has a weakness, as we saw last week." She said as she looked calmly at Death. "I never expected to live for eternity. Thank you for the ring, it will be returned."

"I believe you," he said.

"And what of Chicago?" She asked.

He looked around the shop, "I think it can stay, I like their pizza." He said with a small smile, which she returned.

"May you have peace," she said as she took Deans hand.

"And you." Death said. He watched as the angel and the hunter disappeared and picked up a pale green feather that fell to the table. Her thanks to him.


	16. Ch16

"So he just gave it to you?" Sam asked Dean when they arrived back.

"Not me," he said. "He gave it to Em, they knew each other."

"So one ring to go." Bobby said.

Castiel and Em both gasped.

"Wait here." She said before both of them flew off.

"What was that?" Dean asked, worry clear on his face.

Half an hour later Castiel and Em showed back up carrying someone the boys never thought they would see again.

"Adam?" Sam asked. Emmuel nodded panting a bit as Castiel pulled the rest of Adams weight off of her. Sam rushed to show Castiel where to lay the boy and Dean hurried to steady a swaying Emmuel. She had a split lip but was otherwise unharmed.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked.

"They resurrected him. Castiel and I felt the power spike, figured out what they were doing and rushed to get to him before they could." She said tears in her eyes. "They tried to fight us for him and we had to..." the tears spilled over and he huddled close to her cradling her head to his chest as she let out small sobs.

Dean looked up to Castiel in the doorway.

"She's in shock," Castiel said. "There were six of them coming for us and we had to kill them to get away. While they were enemies... they were also family." He said heavily. Emmuels sobs grew louder.

"It's alright Em, it's ok," Dean murmured to her as he began to rock her gently. He pulled her to the couch where they collapsed and she cuddled into his lap. Bobby moved his head around the door and looked on sadly.

—————

Later when Emmuel had calmed down they walked to the room Adam was lying in.

"I figured he would have woken up by now," Sam said.

"I knocked him out temporarily," Em said. "I had to ward his mind first, and I'm about to ward his ribs. He was most likely pulled from heaven under the guise of being Michaels vessel."

"I thought that was me."

"It is, knowing them, they are going to try and lure you into saying yes in order to keep him safe." She said.

Slowly she placed her hands on Adams chest and performed the warding, once that was done she revived him.

"Who are you and where is Zachariah?"

"Zachariah?" Em asked, fury in her gaze. "He is the one that resurrected you?"

"Yes. I am the vessel of Michael. I'm trying to save the world. He warned me you might try to take me." He spat.

"Dean is Michaels vessel, Adam." Emmuel said. "If you do what you are planning more than half the planet will be demolished, you alongside it."

"They said it would be kinda hairy, but this needs to be done."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What did they offer you in return?" She asked. He stayed quiet for a minute and she began to grow impatient with his overall demeanor.

"I'd get to see my mom."

"Look kid we have a way to fix all of this, without killing billions of people to boot." Dean said gently.

"Oh yeah? And how is that plan going? You found a way to shove Lucifer in the box yet?"

"Yes." Em answered coldly. "We are closer than you would be, infant. Michael may be able to use you as a vessel but do you know what would happen? Your body would disintegrate, around him. And even if he does win in time to keep your body intact you would be little more than a pile of goo incased in skin."

His face didn't even change. He sat there staring in fury.

"Look Adam were trying to save you. Your our-."

"Your what? Brother? Family? I've never even met you. The only family I have is my mom. And she's dead. I do this I get to see her again. The rest of the world be damned. I don't know you, and you don't know me."

"Just give us a couple of days. We'll get the last piece we need and we can shove Lucifer back in his box. Let us help you." Sam pleaded.

Adam relaxed a bit.

"Two days. That's it. You don't have this done in two days I'm walking out that door."

Emmuel disappeared in a flutter, landing outside next to some of Bobby's decrepit cars. Closing her eyes and clenching her teeth she stretched out her power carefully so as to not attract other beings. After around twenty minutes she opened her eyes and looked around.

Each and every car gleamed, good as new. She took a deep breath, walking to find Baby parked near the front of the house.

She had spent so much time in the car. She knew all of the little quirks that had made it a home for the boys. Their initials carved in the sill of the window. The army men shoved into the doors. She opened the passenger door and closed her eyes again running her hands over the dash and listening to the conversations long passed of a young Sam and Dean. Smiling at the laughter they shared. By the time she was done listening the car shone brightly in the sun, all scratches buffed from the paint, the internal workings of the car were also cleaned and tuned. She would run like new now.

"I thought working on cars to clear your mind was my thing." Dean said behind her, giving her a small smile.

"I figured it helped you so much I might as well try it."

"I think Bobby is gonna pass out from shock seeing all these cars all fixed up."

"They'll be easier to use for parts now." She mused. He laughed.

"We'll get through this Em. Don't worry about Adam."

"I'm sorry to say this, but I really don't like him."

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"What? He is being selfish and self serving. I understand the need to see his mother again. But what would you do Dean? Destroy the world for even a chance to see your mother again, or try and find another way?"

He clenched his jaw for a moment, nodding in understanding.

"We have two days, you think we can do it?" He asked her.

"I know we can."


	17. Ch17

He disappeared. Prayed to Zachariah, or some other angel, and they snatched him.

"It's a trap Dean."

"I know that Sam. But he's our brother." He said before looking to Emmuel and Castiel.

Emmuel was burning with fury, the little idiot had gone and gotten himself hooked as bait.

"He's probably wondering what the hold up is right about now." She ground out. "It's exactly as I told him. He is bait."

"Where is the room? They had to have taken him there."

"Van Nuys." Castiel said. "In a run down muffler shop."

"Seriously?"

"Where did you think it was?"

"I don't know, Heaven, a blade of grass? Anywhere but Van Nuys."

"We have to go save him." Sam said.

Emmuel sighed and held out her hand for Dean. "I assume you have a plan." She said.

"A stupid one, but a plan."

She knew instantly what it was and could only hope they could get Adam out in time.

Castiel placed a hand on Sams shoulder and the two angels nodded at each other, all four of them suddenly appearing outside of the abandoned shop.

Emmuel looked at the boys, nodded and marched into the building, coming face to face with five angels, all with their blades drawn. A slash of her hand and their weapons fell, arms attached. A shove and they all lit up blindingly. When the light died they had all disappeared, arms included. The only thing that gave any indication that angels had been there were the five angel blades laying on the ground.

A tear fell from her eye and she swiped her hand again collecting the blades and sending all but two of them to Bobby's, where they appeared in a trunk at the foot of his desk. She handed the last two to the boys.

She strode over to the door of the office, banging it open with the shear force of the power rippling off of her. Zachariah, stood in the far corner of the room a match lit, which he promptly dropped to the floor at her feet.

"Holy fire?" She asked unamused, it wouldn't affect her but she had to put up false pretenses. Dean and Sam rushed into the room behind her, Castiel not far behind them. Then the door slammed shut.

"Sam, Dean, you have to go! It's a trap!" Adam yelled.

"We told you that," Emmuel said her eyes burning.

Suddenly Sam and Adam were writhing on the floor. Blood pooling in their mouths. Castiel let out a shriek as he fell to the floor. Emmuel even let out a cry, she could feel Zachariahs power pulsing at her, it didn't do anything, but he didn't have to know that.

"Stop!" Dean yelled. "I'll do it." He said from behind her.

"What?" She hissed, whipping around to glare at him. Knowing exactly what he'd say next.

"Call him, and I'll say yes." He said. The boys on the floor immediately stopped choking. Castiel stopped writhing and slumped to the floor panting.

"That was easier than I thought." Zachariah smirked.

"Dean, what are you doing?" She all but yelled at him. Seeing that Zachariah had his eyes closed in prayer to Michael he winked at her.

Zachariah opened his eyes and smiled evilly at Em.

"However I do have some conditions." Dean said. Zachariah looked at him sharply.

"Of course, whatever you'd like." He said smiling an oily smile.

"I want my families safety guaranteed."

"Done." Zachariah smiled.

"And Emmuel walks free."Dean said.

"That might be harder to negotiate," he said with a glare to the Anarchangel.

"I'm not finished." He said. "Before I even consider saying yes. I want you dead."

Emmuels heart leapt for joy.

"Are you kidding me? He won't kill me, do you know how important-"

"How important his vessel is?" He said getting into Zachariahs face. They were nearly chest to chest now, each heaving in anger.

"You impetuous sack of maggots-"

Dean shoved an angel blade through Zachariahs chin. He fell to the floor and small feathery stumps incinerated on the floor.

Calmer now Emmuel walked out of the fiery ring, never actually trapped. As she did the room began to glow and shake she started for Castiel, shoving his shoulder over her own and trying to lift him Dean on the other side doing the same for Sam.

"Dean, what about Adam?"

"I'm coming," he said shuffling to his feet on his own.

"We have to go!"

The shaking intensified, both pairs making it through, Dean hauled Sam to the floor and quickly and gently as possible before rushing back to the door.

The last thing they saw was Adam, half a foot from the door being harshly yanked back as it slam shut.

"Adam!" Dean yelled yanking at the handle of the door, banging for all he was worth.

"Dean!" They heard before a blinding light took over the room, glowing through the windows.

After a moment the light died, and Dean wrenched the door open.

It was empty.

—————

They defeated War easily. Emmuel easily seeing the lack of demons.

The pastor that War has been using as a facade fell quickly when he saw Emmuel.

"She's a demon!" He had shouted pointing. The room light up with lightening, casting her wings in shadow for all to see.

War had been shoved to the wall, his ring cut off just as quickly. All this death had hardened Emmuel slightly, she was becoming more to the point, direct.

Everyone who had turned agains one another was suddenly wailing in agony, having killed a loved one or long time friend.

"Hush." Emmuel had exclaimed. "This is exactly what he wanted. Don't give it to him."

Ellen and Jo had loved her.


	18. Ch18

The trip to Detroit took longer than they felt was needed. And Sam was an idiot.

"No." Dean and Emmuel said in unison.

"What you think we're just going to open the portal and he's just going to jump in saying thanks?"

"No. I am going to rip him from his vessel. I made that clear weeks ago."

"I cant let there even be a chance that you could get sucked in there, Em."

"I won't even have to touch him, Sam. Have you forgotten what I am?"

"I haven't forgotten. But I won't let you get hurt for me."

The conversation ended abruptly when Emmuel waved her hand locking his vocal cords in place.

They were stood outside of the building before she returned his speech.

"You're going to follow the original plan, that's final." She said her eyes blazing with light for a moment. He grit his teeth and nodded once.

—————

"So you're the big bad sister that everyone up there has been talking about." Lucifer said. His vessel Nick had nearly disintegrated by now.

Without fanfare, or flair, she raised a hand clenching the air and subsequently his throat. His face showing fear for the first time. Her other hand reached through his chest and gripped tight before slowly pulling, drawing it out to hear him scream. After a few wrenching screams, his vessel collapsed to the floor and a blinding energy floundered in an invisible grasp.

And then it happened again. Not that she wasn't paying attention, she was, and it wasn't for lack of trying on Sam and Deans part, they were fighting their own battles, trying to keep back a group of demons that ran in.

It happened anyway.

She couldn't get a beam on ever demon in the room and they were aiming for her. She kept Lucifer in her grasp and blasted demons back with the other but there were to many for her to really split her focus.

For some reason demons really like slamming things into people's heads. And she hit the ground hard. The second to last demon fell to Deans blade.

The portal was already open, ready for Lucifer. But they could see it pulling things in, and to their horror Em was slowly sliding towards it in her daze.

"I'll do it! Take me, I'll do it!"

"No Sammy!" Dean yelled but it was already too late. Blinding light shot down Sams throat and the internal battle began. Suddenly Sam seemed to take control, his arm shot out and grabbed Meg, who had been the one to slam Emmuel, before throwing her harshly into the open portal. And after that it sealed. The rings dropping to the floor.

Sam walked over and picked them up standing before slowly turning around.

"Dean?" He gasped, breathing hard.

"S-Sam?" He asked. His face breaking into sadness when a cold smile spread on Sams normally gentle face.

"Sorry Dean-o, Sams not home. But feel free to leave a message." He said.

"You know I though it would be harder, killing the two of you. My sister too of course." He said before pacing.

"And now look, I have you trapped here, with no chance of-" he stopped as he turned around to an empty room.

"Dammit."

—————

They appeared at Bobby's seconds later. Emmuel falling to the ground.

"Castiel!" Dean yelled, hauling her into his arms and barging into the house.

"Dean! What happened?" Bobby yelled after him as he rushed to the couch, laying her down gently.

"Dammit, Cas!"

Castiel looked into the room.

"Where the hell did you go?!" He yelled not paying attention to the laceration on Castiel's forehead or the gouges on his arms.

"Dean," she said quietly, "he knew I could get you out. He had to leave before Lucifer kept him there."

She tried to sit up but the room span and fresh blood started to ooze from the wound.

"Castiel..." she groaned. "Please..." her eyes started to flutter. As quickly as possible he moved to her and placed a hand on her face. She sighed as the pain vanished. Then Dean was wiping blood from her face... again.

"We're going to get him back Dean, Sam thought he could over power him but he was wrong. It could be different with Sam. He isn't very far gone. And now that they both have vessels they will fight. We need to get to them."

"Where?" He asked.

"At the place where it all began. Lawrence."


	19. Ch19

He roared into the cemetery, blasting music through the open windows. Skidding to a halt in front of the two and hoping out.

"Leave Dean, you had your chance." Michael said.

"Oh I'm not here to fight," he said. "I'm here to watch." He smirked.

Out of nowhere Castiel appeared.

"Hey, Assbutt!" He yelled before hurling a bottle of lit holy oil at Michael who promptly burst into flames and disappeared. Emmuel, who was cloaking her power next to a tree out of sight, knew it wouldn't kill him but he would be gone for a few minutes at most.

"Did you just, Molotov my brother?" He asked in a low voice.

Her eyes widened and she stopped whatever power Lucifer threw at Castiel before it reached him. It would have disintegrated him had she not filtered her power through him a few weeks ago, and while it wouldn't be that strong now it would have definitely caused damage.

Lucifer looked at Castiel in astonishment before really taking a good look at him. He finally saw the pale green tinge to his wings and his eyes widened.

She could feel him stretch out his power looking for her. But she stayed hidden, balling up her power in the depths of her mind.

"Where is she?" He asked. Glancing around the cemetery in a way that was supposed to be nonchalant.

"Not here." Dean said.

They stood there for another precious moment in silence.

"So, Dean. What did you really come for?" He asked with a forced smirk.

"I want to talk to Sam."

"He's not in right now, but you can leave a message." He said with a sneering smile.

"Sam! Come on man, I know you're in there! Fight it!"

It was hard to watch him get beaten. And she diverted more of Lucifers power, pulling punches for him so Dean wouldn't be too badly beaten. They neared the Impala and she winced when she saw how swollen Deans eye had become. She couldn't pull all the punches or Lucifer would know something was wrong.

Suddenly Lucifer stopped at a glint in the mirror of the Impala and she knew Sam had broken through, even just for a moment. She could see it in his eyes. Taking her chance she pulled the rings from his pocket with a wave of her hand.

Too soon Michael was back and Lucifers attention was diverted, Sam getting shoved back in. He left Dean in a slump against the hood of the car and calmly walked to face his brother.

"You're resilient, I'll give you that." Lucifer said as he walked. Michael stood stoically.

She diverted another attack Lucifer tried to shove on Castiel and, with a silent wave, pushed Castiel back to Bobby's. He wasn't needed anymore and she didn't want him hurt.

"It is time to end this boys." She said. They looked around wildly trying to place her.

Suddenly she appeared between her two brothers, her eyes glowing with a fire neither of them had previously witnessed, and all they could do was stare in shock at her wings which glinted in the sun almost as if they were made of metal.

The key of rings flew from her hand and dropped to the ground opening the portal. Before either of them could react she shoved her hands in either direction, gripping tightly, and yanked upwards. Sam and Adam fell to the ground unconscious.

"I warned Heaven and Hell, both went against me. Now you will both rot in the pit." She spat.

The two blinding masses of energy squirmed in her grasp but neither saw a way to break free. The wind of the portal was whipping her hair and her eyes glowed anew. Hurling both her arms to the ground she watched as her brothers were sucked into Hell.

Dean ran to Sam then, grabbing his shoulders and lifting him into his lap while pulling him farther from the open pit.

Emmuel went to Adam. And she could tell before she even lowered to the ground that he was dead.

Adam was gone.

"Dammit!" She yelled. Waving to the rings they separated and returned to her. She then rushed to Sam and was relieved after doing a scan of his mental and physical health, he would be fine.

"I'm so sorry Dean. Adam... I tried to warn him-"

"I know Em, it's ok, we got Sammy... we got Sammy."

—————

They had put Sam on the bed in the guest room at Bobby's and gone downstairs. Emmuel didn't know how long it would be before he woke up, but knew he would.

"So, you saved the world huh?" Bobby asked them.

"That was Em, Bobby."

She raised her eyebrow at him.

"What?" He asked.

She sighed and glanced at Bobby who was looking at her with the same long suffering look before he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

"What," he asked again.

"Dean. You did save the world."

"I started all of this. You saved it."

She sighed again before looking into his eyes. She saw all the years of lost self worth. Damn John Winchester.

"If it hadn't been for you Dean, I would have never been able to help. I would be stuck in Heaven. And no doubt you would have been able to find a way. Maybe even gotten the rings. But you freed me. You. You gave me the chance to keep Sam here, where he belongs, rather than him jump in to save us all. You did this Dean. I just helped."

She could tell by the clench in his jaw that he didn't fully believe her, but he didn't refute her.

And that was a good start


End file.
